Faith-Fidelity-St Stephen of Hungary

HOMILY WEEKDAY 19 05 – Year I

Eunuchs on a Healing Journey for the Kingdom of God –

Optional Memorial: St. Stephen of Hungary

(Jos 24:1-13; Ps 136; Mt 19:3-12)

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The first reading today seems to miss a few other groups the Israelis had to face upon entering the promised land: the Gigabytes and the Terrabytes!

Each reading today holds a key message for us: to be open to radical discipleship and remain resolute on our spiritual journey.

Radical discipleship involves three stages: Essentialdiscipleship is when we are young and asking important questions such as what we will do with our life. Generativediscipleship is when we are established with a career, vocation, perhaps a family and are giving our lives away to make the world a better place. Radicaldiscipleship, on the other hand, happens to us by age, illness or events we cannot control. We can do little for ourselves and so have to have things done for us and to us.

The key to radical discipleship is to accept the inconvenience or suffering without bitterness or resentment, like Jesus on the Cross. He let go of all control; everything was done to him, but he endured all that passion with gracious love and forgiveness. That is radical discipleship.

The late Fr. Brian Jayawardhana OMI lived radical discipleship as he was dying from cancer. Visiting him in the hospital was a spiritual experience. His bones were so weak he could not even move his shoulders, so he just lay there with a peaceful smile on his face, never complaining, always interested in whomever came to visit and grateful for all that was done to help him. Interestingly, a request he made to his good friend Wendy during his illness was for her to read about radical discipleship from one of Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s books.

The eunuchs Jesus speaks about in today’s gospel can be radical disciples. There are three kinds of eunuchs: by birth; by castration and by choice or circumstance. The common understanding is that one who takes a vow of celibacy becomes a eunuch for the sake of the kingdom. But a failed marriage can also involve becoming a eunuch for the kingdom. When one partner is unfaithful, the other has a choice – bail out or stay faithful, pray for a change of heart by the other, and forgive that person when he or she returns. The faithful one goes up on the cross with Jesus, and becomes a eunuch for the sake of the marriage and the Kingdom of God.

Fr. Roger Vandersteen, a veteran Oblate missionary among the Indigenous in northern Alberta, was an artist and produced a catechism made up of illustrated sketches reflecting the lives of the people among whom he lived. One of his sketches is particularly striking and even shocking: a naked woman portrayed from behind hanging face to face with Jesus on the Cross. I believe he based himself on today’s gospel, intent on portraying the church, that is us, called at times to be faithful to Jesus even if it means being with him up on the cross.

Elaine’s husband had an affair and deserted the family, eventually having a child with another woman. Elaine and her four children were devastated. She chose to stay faithful, change her own addictive lifestyle which may have contributed to the infidelity, wait and pray for her husband’s return. I would meet with them as a family at times in their living room to help them deal with this crisis. We would sit on a quilt on the floor around a candle and the bible, share our feelings about the situation, and pray for the husband and father’s return. The children especially shared and prayed from the heart for their dad. Elaine was truly a eunuch for the sake of the marriage, the family and the kingdom of God. The good news is that a miracle happened, her husband did return eventually and they were reconciled. They both changed their lifestyles to focus on the grandchildren and experienced many happy years together as a family until he died recently.

Being a eunuch or a radical disciple for the sake of the kingdom of God is a formidable challenge, and that is where the first reading comes in. Joshua reminds the Israelites of their salvation history and mentions that even in the promised land they have to face seven enemies. It is the same with us as we try to stay faithful to following Jesus – we will constantly be bombarded with temptations and obstacles. That is when we can remember the consolations God gave us in the past and practice the wisdom of living one day at a time, asking God for the strength and power to say “no” to sin and to live for God just for that day.

Today the church honors St Stephen of Hungary. Stephen and his father, the third duke to govern the Magyars, were baptized when Stephen was 10. In 977, when he was 22, Stephen succeeded his father and worked at uniting the Magyars. Having consolidated his position, Stephen obtained Pope Sylvester II’s approval for the proper establishment of the Church in Hungary. Stephen was crowned the first King of Hungary in 1001. He ensured that Magyars were trained as priests, churches were built, and the great monastery of St. Martin, begun by his father, was finished. He instituted reforms in religion, civil law and government. A deeply committed Christian, Stephen was very generous, often distributing alms. When his only son died in a hunting accident, Stephen’s life was made miserable by fights over the succession. He died in 1083, having united Hungary in politics and in religion, and was canonized in 1083.

The Eucharist we celebrate today is a source of strength to be radical disciples, and to continue our own journey of faith. So, as we celebrate let us remember the lessons of the readings today: be open to radical discipleship and remain faithful to our spiritual journey.